ELECTRON-INDUCED REACTIONS IN METHANOL ULTRATHIN FILMS STUDIED BY TEMPERATURE-PROGRAMMED DESORPTION - A USEFUL METHOD TO STUDY RADIATION-CHEMISTRY

The exposure of multilayers of an adsorbate to low energy (less than or equal to 55 eV) electrons under ultrahigh vacuum (LTHV) conditions followed by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) is shown to be an effective method to identify radiolysis products. In conjunction with isothermal experiments, postirradiation TPD experiments were used to identify eight previously known radiolysis products of methanol. The utility of the method is demonstrated by the identification of a previously unknown methanol radiolysis product: methoxymethanol (CH3OCH2OH). Moreover, this technique allows study of the dependence on initial electron energy, providing additional insight into the physical processes underlying radiation chemistry.